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Yahoo’s recent $1.1 billion deal to buy the social blogging service Tumblr wasn’t just a
high-priced bid for a bigger audience. It was another sign of a recurring cycle in the world of
social media, where big sites struggle to stay hip as they get older and more mainstream, while
newer ones emerge to grab the spotlight.

Younger Internet users, in particular, are “just super-finicky,” said Gene Munster, a veteran
tech analyst for Piper Jaffray. “They get a little bit tired, and they start looking around for
what’s new.”

Users who grow tired of the biggest social platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, don’t have
to look far for alternatives such as Pinterest, Path or Foursquare — newer social networks that now
draw millions of regular visitors. There also are upstart mobile applications that have caught on
with teens, from messaging programs such as WhatsApp to the video-sharing services Vine, Tout and
Keek.

None of them are likely to become giants overnight. But their popularity is a constant reminder
of the topsy-turvy nature of the Internet industry, in which today’s leaders could be tomorrow’s
MySpace, a once-reigning social network that has slipped into obscurity, eclipsed by newer rivals.
It also makes them targets for bigger companies eager to avoid that fate.

Some newer services offer a more-visual and more-creative experience than Facebook or Twitter,
analysts say: Tumblr and Instagram, the mobile photo-sharing app that Facebook bought last year for
about $750 million, allow users to tinker with images and share them with friends.

Others offer a specific, unique experience: Pinterest users “pin” photos and Web links on a
visually striking home page. Reddit lets users post stories and videos that are then ranked by
other users. Path positions itself as a private network for people who want to share only with
close friends.

And some new social apps are a threat to bigger companies in part because they’re so easy to
adopt: It’s a simple matter for teenagers to download a new smartphone app that provides an
entertaining way to share a short video clip with friends, or send a text message that’s punctuated
with cartoon images, said analyst Richard Greenfield of BTIG Research.

While Tumblr and some other services are beginning to sell advertising or other products, most
are still concentrating on building features and adding users, rather than worrying about making
any money. By contrast, the larger, publicly traded Internet companies are under pressure to do
both.

Yahoo, in particular, has struggled with shareholder concerns about declining revenue, as online
advertisers have shifted to newer Internet platforms such as Google and Facebook. Yahoo’s deal to
buy Tumblr is widely viewed as a move to attract younger, hipper Internet users who create and
share content.

Google’s business is strong, thanks to its dominance of the Internet search business. But its
Google Plus network has gained little traction against Facebook. And while Facebook is the world’s
biggest social network, with 1.1 billion active members, there are signs it’s losing appeal for
some younger users.

A survey of 5,200 teens conducted by Piper Jaffray this spring found 33 percent listed Facebook
as their “most important” social network, down from 42 percent in the fall. Twitter, Instagram and
Tumblr all showed gains in that period.

Another study, released last month by the Pew Research Center, found teens complaining about the
increased presence of adults on Facebook, including teachers and relatives, as well as unwanted
social pressure to keep up with cliques and gossip online.

Teens said they had more fun using photo-sharing apps such as Instagram and Snapchat, said Pew
researcher Mary Madden. Facebook has let Instagram continue operating as a stand-alone service,
after buying it last year, while promoting its use to Facebook members.